88. This Is My Sister. Isn't She Really Pretty?
88. This Is My Sister. Isn't She Really Pretty?
"Why are you worrying about something like that?"
Sua smiled as if reassured by my answer and nuzzled her head against my shoulder like she was relieved.
"Well, that's a relief, but seriously... I feel like my head's going to split open."
She whined as if that was the only way to make the dizziness go away, and for some reason every little thing she did made her seem like a younger sister.
"Seriously, don't ever think about drinking anywhere else. Watching the way you act, you'd be in real danger at a drinking party."
Whether it was the whining or the way she talked like she was throwing a little tantrum, it was probably because she was with me, but even so, Sua's habits really did seem dangerous.
Things like unconsciously taking off her clothes while sleeping, or casually acting cute like she was doing now.
It was genuinely surprising that someone with such a low alcohol tolerance had decided to drink wine yesterday. I never would've imagined there was a person who'd try to drink wine straight from the bottle.
I'd said it half out of concern for Sua, but her reaction was more subtle than I expected.
"...There you go again."
Sua, who'd been nuzzling her head against my shoulder, lifted her head and looked at me with a really odd expression.
"Seriously, you keep trying to charm people like it's nothing."
Poke.
By now it was like a habit, the way she poked my shoulder with her finger, and Sua's completely strengthless action just tickled.
"In my opinion, you're the most dangerous one. What, do you try to charm people like it's some kind of passive?"
"What am I, a fox? Charming people."
"Wow, look at her now, calling herself a fox with her own mouth. Be honest. You're actually a nine-tailed fox who's lived for hundreds of years, aren't you!?"
"...Now I'm a nine-tailed fox?"
"Ah, you nine-tailed fox, you really play along too well."
Sua giggled, and as if it were contagious, laughter spilled out of me for no reason too.
We were carrying on that kind of silly conversation when—
—Ding!
A text alert sounded.
[Hello. This is your delivery driver. I've left your ordered items at the designated location. If the items are not at the designated location, please contact me right away.]
When I checked the message, it said the delivery had arrived.
Wondering when thirty minutes had already passed since Sua and I started chatting nonsense, I slowly got up.
"Did the delivery come?"
Sua brightened as she watched me suddenly get up, and I nodded.
"Yeah. The hangover remedy delivery is here, so I'll go get it."
I did have a faint hangover, like something gently pounding at my head, but I still had it better than Sua.
"Okay... then I'll... leave it to you."
With me no longer there to lean on, Sua buried her face in the pillow and mumbled.
***
Click.
Once she confirmed that Serin had left to get the hangover remedy, Sua let out a deep sigh and clutched her head.
"Ugh..."
She shook her head from side to side, her face scrunching at the splitting pain, but strangely, a soft smile still lingered at the corners of Sua's lips.
Sua's bright red lips moved, and an utterly relaxed voice flowed out.
"Somehow... I feel at ease."
Her head throbbed like it was going to crack, but strangely enough, her heart felt incredibly comfortable.
She'd never imagined it could feel this comfortable not having to put on a mask and act a certain way around someone.
Just acting however her heart led and saying whatever came to mind was both somehow unsettling and yet so fascinating.
Honestly, even I didn't know why I felt so at ease around Serin in particular, but when I was with her, I had this groundless thought: 'Maybe I don't need to wear a mask with her?'
Then, just now at the end, I felt a small pang of anxiety and asked if I'd upset her, but seeing Serin accept it without a moment's hesitation made that thought settle into something close to certainty.
"She's unusual..."
The more I talked with Serin, the stranger the feeling got.
It felt very different from what I'd felt when I put on a mask, acted a certain way, and built relationships.
Serin herself was so mysterious—from the exotic features of her mixed heritage, to the snow-white silver hair that caught the eye, to her oddly cautious personality and way of speaking. All of it combined to make her feel even more unusual.
It wasn't like I'd never met a mixed-race person before, but Serin felt somehow more unusual than that.
Judging from our conversations yesterday and today, Serin seemed deeper on the inside than she appeared, different from when she was asking me for help with things.
She had seemed oddly considerate while keeping her distance, but once the alcohol broke that down and we grew closer, she accepted me without reservation.
Click.
At the sound of the door opening, I naturally turned my head.
Serin came in with her snow-white silver hair hanging down, carrying several bottles of what looked like hangover remedies, and the sight made me laugh for some reason.
'How can a person be like that?'
Even looking at her again, her appearance was unreal.
It was obvious at a glance that she didn't dress up much, and yet she still looked like that. It was hard to believe.
"Which one do you want? The hangover drinks that aren't too bitter and are sweet are these three..."
Serin sat naturally on the edge of the bed and held out a few options as if telling me to pick, and I chose the one with the pale pink label.
"I'll take this one."
Then I naturally sat up and opened the hangover remedy right away.
Gulp.
As I drank the hangover drink that was bitter yet subtly sweet, I stared blankly at Serin.
She must've had a hangover too, because she was drinking one as well, and for some reason my gaze drifted to that snow-white neckline.
Unlike me, she must've picked a really bitter hangover remedy, because she was grimacing with a weird expression as she drank, and just watching made me laugh for no reason.
Growl.
Then... at the sound from my stomach, I picked up my phone to check the time.
1:37 p.m.
"Serin, you'll eat lunch before you go, right?"
Serin looked at me as if to ask what I meant by lunch all of a sudden, then laughed silently.
"Sua, you're hungry right now, aren't you?"
"Yes... honestly, I think I only drank wine yesterday."
I'd ordered sashimi from a place that seemed expensive enough to be good, but sashimi still didn't agree with me.
Honestly, even after trying a few pieces as a snack, I couldn't bring myself to eat more.
"From what I saw yesterday, you don't really like sashimi or seafood. Why didn't you say so before ordering?"
Serin asked as if scolding me, and the situation was kind of funny.
It oddly felt like déjà vu from a few days ago.
"Didn't you also not say anything a few days ago even though you can't eat spicy food, Serin?"
"Back then, I'd received help from you... and besides, I don't especially like sashimi, so I would've been fine eating something else."
"If that was the case, I should've ordered something else. Honestly, when you suddenly messaged me yesterday asking to drink, I wondered if you had something weighing on your mind. So I ordered food you'd want..."
She normally didn't contact me except for help with work-related things, so I really had thought that was the case.
Then it suddenly struck me that Serin and I had been thinking similarly.
The situation of ordering food out of consideration for the other person even though we disliked it or couldn't eat it.
"Sua, from now on, if you don't like something or aren't into it, don't hide it—tell me. I appreciate the thought, but I don't like people putting themselves out for me for no reason."
Serin let out a small sigh as she spoke, and for no reason, the corners of my lips turned up.
"Okay, I'll do that from now on. So you'll eat lunch before you go, right!?"
Because I wanted to feel this comfortable feeling a little longer.
***
S University campus.
The lecture hall, which had been quiet until a few minutes ago, quickly grew noisy with students finishing their exam and filing out.
The joy and sorrow of those who did well on the exam and those who didn't crossed paths, and close friends gathered in their own groups to talk about where to go.
As she left the now-noisy lecture hall, one female university student muttered with a devastated expression.
"Ugh, what kind of exam is this...? I mean, who makes problems like this?"
Chaerin, her long black hair hanging down, whined as she looked at her friend walking right beside her.
A small frame with an impression anyone would call cute.
With the exotic features unique to mixed heritage and an air of mystery, her friend was popular.
Han Seoyun.
She was Chaerin's best friend, famous for never missing the top spot in their department.
"Seoyun, you're so lucky. Obviously you got another A."
"Chaerin... that's why I told you to prepare ahead of time."
"No, Seoyun, I really did prepare a lot for this... the exam difficulty is just weird, okay?"
As Chaerin walked beside her sighing like the ground was collapsing, Seoyun patted her back and laughed in disbelief.
"Even though you were gaming until this morning?"
"...Well, the raid leader can't just skip a raid, can she?"
At Chaerin's brazen attitude, as if asking what the problem was... Seoyun looked at her with a pitiful gaze.
"Raid leader or not, is that more important than an exam?"
"Of course!"
Seoyun, who'd been patting Chaerin's back, suddenly put force into it and smacked her.
Smack!
"Ow! Why'd you hit me!?"
"...Did you forget you're graduating this year?"
"No, I know. But still, ugh..."
......
After leaving the lecture hall like that, the two headed to a nearby restaurant.
Since they had an exam scheduled in the afternoon, they'd been studying until lunchtime and were only now coming to eat a late lunch.
"For drinks, I'll have cola. Seoyun, what about you?"
"I'll have grapefruit ade."
"Okay, then we'll have that."
Chaerin held out her card, but Seoyun held out hers first.
"...I said it's fine."
"I'm not fine with it."
Chaerin looked at Seoyun, who spoke with a resolute expression, then eventually smiled slightly and put her card away.
—Payment complete.
After they each finished ordering and sat down at the table to chat, Seoyun suddenly thought of her sister and opened BaTalk out of habit.
Seoyun.
[Sis! I finished my exam today!]
Serin.
[Oh, really? Did you do well?]
Seoyun.
[Of course. I'm at a restaurant now about to eat a late lunch. What are you doing?]
Serin.
[I'm about to eat a late lunch too.]
Seoyun.
[You were gaming again and woke up late, weren't you?]
"Who are you texting so intently?"
Chaerin lowered her head and tried to look at Seoyun's messages, but Seoyun quickly covered her phone.
"Chaerin, don't you know what privacy is?"
"Huh? Did we ever have that between us?"
"What do you mean, 'between us.'"
"If you're hiding it from me this much... are you secretly seeing a guy?"
Chaerin smiled with a subtle expression as she spoke.
Seoyun let out a hollow laugh and raised her index finger to flick Chaerin's forehead.
Flick!
"Ow."
"Stop saying weird things. I was just texting my sister since the exam's over."
"Ah, your sister...?"
Only then did Chaerin seem to realize something and wiped the playful look off her face.
Knowing that Seoyun's only remaining family was her sister, she felt awkward for no reason.
As if noticing, Seoyun smiled slightly.
'...I think it'd be okay to tell someone like Chaerin.'
Chaerin had worried and helped in various ways when she went to see her sister last time, and since they were this close, she figured it was fine to tell Chaerin about her sister.
"Chaerin, want me to show you my sister?"
At Seoyun's sudden words, Chaerin asked in surprise.
"All of a sudden? You always said no whenever I asked to see her."
At Chaerin's surprised reaction, Seoyun felt awkward and scratched her cheek for no reason.
"I just... I figured it'd be okay if it's you, Chaerin."
"Oh, what's this? Have I finally earned Seoyun's approval?"
"Approval, what... Chaerin, seriously, stop saying weird things."
At Seoyun's embarrassed reaction, Chaerin burst out laughing.
Then Seoyun fiddled with her phone and brought up a profile picture on the screen.
'...It really seems like my sister inherited all the good genes.'
Even looking at the photo again, she was pretty.
Maybe because she was her sister, Seoyun thought she really was beautiful. Smiling brightly, she held out her phone to Chaerin.
"This is my sister. Isn't she really pretty?"